Sediment in home brewed beer and which method is best for controlling it

ChrisK1984

Sorry guys just brand new on the site and this has probably been discussed to death but here goes.
I've just recently started some home brew again (some cider, Coopers Australian blonde lager and some red wine). I made a few brews years ago when i was younger and can remember the sediment being slightly annoying when it came to pouring my beer out for a drink. I spoke with the people in the shop when i bought my new equipment about the issue, they told me you cant really get around it but did mention some bottle caps that "trap" the sediment, but the bottles have to be primed upside down. They also mentioned you could force carbonate like the larger beer companies do. My question is which is better and more viable as i do like the least amount of fuss when it comes the time to have a beer but not sure how much of an undertaking the force carbonation would be and not sure of the availability of the sediment trap caps or if they're even worth the hassle. All help would be appreciated thanks.

P.S i also heard someone mention that if you bottle at the right time you don't get much sediment is this true ? as i thought the fact your'e introducing priming sugar into the bottle your'e basically starting fermentation again to a certain extent?

Chris

HBO_Staff

Hi Chris and welcome, this is an issue for the home brewer although you may have noticed some bottled beers bought in shops also have sediment from some of the micro-breweries. You can get a brew clear before it is bottled/barrelled but by removing all of the suspended yeast this then means that it is harder to get the priming sugar to carbonate the brew. There are a few suggestions here on this link to help minimise the sediment that may be of interest:

https://homebrewonline.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/457/cloudy-brew-sediment-a-guide-to-reducing-sediment-clearing#latest

We have no experience of the caps that remove the sediment, but one option you suggest is force carbonating - the beer or cider can be cleared with finings before putting into a Cornelius keg, gas is then used to pressurise the metal keg and the brew absorbs the gas - this means there is no sediment in the brew and also it can be ready to drink more quickly. Here are the options with the Cornelius style kegs:

http://www.home-brew-online.com/search/cornelius

There is a video guide to the corny style keg below the main picture of the keg on this link if of any interest:

http://www.home-brew-online.com/equipment-c40/budget-aeb-starter-set-with-refurbished-keg-p3404

ChrisK1984

Thanks for that I've seen a lot of discussions and everyone seems to have their own ideas. Thanks for the guidance.

HBO_Staff

Ensuring your brew is clear before you bottle or barrel it and ensuring no sediment gets through to the bottles or barrel will ensure it is clear with no sediment, just carbonating it may be harder than usual with no suspended yeast - force carbonating it in a corny keg will do it though